How to Count Macros
The complete step-by-step system. From calculating your first targets to choosing a tracking method that you'll actually stick with for months.
Calculate Your TDEE
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in a day. It's the only number that matters as your starting baseline. Everything else is adjustment from here.
Use our Macro Calculator — it handles the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation and activity multipliers automatically. Or calculate manually:
- BMR (Male): (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) – (5 × age) + 5
- BMR (Female): (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) – (5 × age) – 161
- TDEE: BMR × activity multiplier (1.2–1.9)
Coach's note: TDEE calculators have a ±10–15% margin of error because activity is self-reported. Track for 2 weeks at calculated TDEE, then adjust based on whether you're gaining or losing weight at maintenance target.
Set Your Calorie Target
Fat Loss (Moderate)
TDEE – 250 cal
~0.5 lb/week · Best for preserving muscle
Fat Loss (Aggressive)
TDEE – 500 cal
~1 lb/week · Max sustainable deficit
Maintenance
TDEE cal
Weight stable · Body recomp phase
Lean Bulk
TDEE + 250 cal
~0.5 lb/week · Minimal fat gain
Aggressive Bulk
TDEE + 500 cal
~1 lb/week · Faster gains, more fat
Set Your Macro Targets
Set protein first — it's your anchor macro. Then distribute remaining calories between carbs and fat based on preference and goal.
| Macro | Target | Cal/g | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 0.7–1g / lb bodyweight | 4 | Set first — non-negotiable |
| Carbs | Remaining cals ÷ 4 | 4 | Set second — adjust based on training |
| Fat | Min 0.35g / lb bodyweight | 9 | Set minimum floor — don't go below |
Choose a Tracking Method
Method selection is the biggest lever for long-term adherence. The most accurate method you'll actually use beats the "best" method you abandon after 2 weeks.
Method 1: Food Scale + Manual App
GoodWeigh everything in grams, search for foods manually in an app database, log each ingredient. Most comprehensive for whole/unpackaged foods.
Pros
- High accuracy for tracked items
- Works for any food
- Builds portion awareness
Cons
- 38–62 seconds per meal
- User errors in database search
- Impractical when eating out
Method 2: Barcode Scanner
Better for packaged foodsScan packaged food barcodes for instant macro data. Fast and accurate for anything with a barcode — useless for whole/unpackaged foods.
Pros
- Fast (10–20s for packaged foods)
- Accurate label data
Cons
- Fails for restaurant/whole foods
- Labels still have ±20% error
Method 3: AI Photo Tracking (PlateLens)
BestTake a photo of any meal — PlateLens identifies every food component and calculates full macros and 82+ micronutrients in under 3 seconds. Works for restaurant meals, homemade food, packaged products, and multi-component plates.
Pros
- ±1.2% accuracy
- Under 3 seconds per meal
- Works for any food type
- 82+ nutrients tracked
- 78% higher adherence
Cons
- Requires smartphone camera
- Premium subscription
Track Consistently for 2–3 Weeks
Don't adjust your macros until you have 14–21 days of consistent data. Weekly weight average is more meaningful than daily weigh-ins (weight can fluctuate ±3–5 lbs day-to-day from water retention, sodium, glycogen).
What "consistent" means: Log every meal, including weekends. Most people track perfectly Monday–Thursday and estimate Thursday–Sunday. That's not consistent macro tracking. That's selective tracking with a blind spot in your data.
"Perfect tracking 80% of the time is not 80% of the results. The 20% you don't track is usually the highest-calorie 20%."
Adjust Based on Results
After 2–3 weeks of consistent tracking, compare your actual body weight trend to your expected rate of change:
- Losing faster than expected? Add 100–200 calories (primarily carbs) to preserve training performance and muscle.
- Not losing at goal deficit? Reduce by 100–150 calories from carbs. Reassess TDEE — yours may be lower than calculated.
- Gaining at maintenance? You underestimated TDEE. Reduce by 150 calories and reassess.
- Not gaining on bulk? Add 100–200 calories. Your TDEE is higher than estimated.
Never adjust more than 200 calories at a time. Small, evidence-based adjustments over time beat dramatic swings that make it impossible to identify which change caused which outcome.
PlateLens makes IIFYM effortless — scan anything
Manual logging takes 38–62 seconds per meal. PlateLens does it in under 3 seconds from a photo, with ±1.2% accuracy. Used by 2,400+ healthcare and fitness professionals.